The Anchor of a Lost Soul
by Nera Core
Summary: W.D Gaster, former head royal scientist wonders what would happen if he messes with the soul of a human. What he doesn't expect, is the sheer power of determination, and its ability to anchor even a soul lost in the void back to its rightful place.
1. Prologue

**Curiosity Killed The Cat…**

The human had fought valiantly with every fiber of their being, every ounce of their DETERMINATION. But alas, it had not been enough. Now their corpse lay splayed out at a rather odd angle atop the pristine snow that was now speckled with flecks of crimson red.

Wingdings Gaster, former head Royal Scientist, had played witness to the entire battle.

In truth Gaster had been slightly disappointed by how weak the human had been. They were obviously not a seasoned warrior. Although, what else could he expect from a child, barely capable of holding their own against even the simplest of foes?

Now their soul was floating just above what remained of the young human. It flickered dimly as it began to deteriorate, threatening to shatter within mere moments. It cast a gentle emerald glow across the vast frigid planes that comprised the outskirts of Snowdin, giving the snow a slightly eerie, appearance.

Gaster had seen this all before. He had seen EVERYTHING before. The burden of being scattered across the entirety of time and space Gaster guessed. He had seen every timeline; past, present, and yet to pass. Though, it was hard to gage time from the null void. Even if he had managed to retain a general grasp on where the current timelines lay. Or at least his timeline lay.

Gaster released a heavy sigh, yet no sound was to be heard, as the white pinpricks of his eyes lingered upon the soul for a good while. Remarkable, really, that such a tiny soul, could harbor such ferocious power. It was both beautiful and terror inducing in the same moment.

He found himself crouched in front of the green soul. Or at least as close as he could be to crouching. After a certain _accident_ involving one of his greatest scientific achievements, Gaster's body had been reduced to nothing less than an abomination as he teetered between life and death. Neither alive nor dead, yet being both at the same time.

He was trapped in a limbo of sorts, the void to be exact. A place there was no light, no dark, no up, no down, no life, no death… A place some might refer to as hell. Yet somehow he remained. Somehow. Holding onto the thin threads that kept him from fading entirely out of existence.

But in truth, he had nothing to hold him to any timeline, nothing to anchor himself to. And as fearful as Gaster was to admit it, he knew he could only hold on to the threads of life for so long, for it was an inevitable fact that they would eventually snap.

And he would be gone.

So how was it that Gaster came to be gazing upon the small soul of a human? Well. After the length of time that Gaster had spent in the void, he eventually discovered points of weakness, where the void's grasp on him was minimalized to the extent that he could see and hear particular timelines, depending on the location of said 'weakness'.

Unfortunately, the as scientist came to discover, he was unable to interact with his surroundings, only able to observe, listen, and learn.

Once Gaster had attempted to interact with a computer, to leave a message for someone, anyone, to find, but the moment he had attempted to lay a finger on it, the computer flickered, before disappearing from existence in much the same way as he had. He observed the particular timeline a while longer, and the sudden disappearance of one of the lab's computers was not once noted, as though it had never been there to begin with.

A curious discovery indeed.

The green soul was about to break. Cracks littered its entire surface and its once vibrant neon glow had been reduced to a dull pulsing.

Gaster began to wonder what would happen if he were to touch the small heart. Would it simply vanish like everything else? Or would something entirely different happen? The more he thought about it, the more intriguing the idea became.

He awkwardly shifted what was left of his right arm and hand to reach up and scratch his chin in mock thought. _What's the worst that could happen?_ He theorized, surely nothing too disastrous could arise from his little experiment. And after all that had happened to him, he still had to admit, old habits died hard.

Cautiously the skeleton reached out toward the soul, hesitating a moment mere inches before it. It radiated a warmth that Gaster could clearly feel, which was remarkable seeing as Skeletons couldn't sense temperature. It was a tingly, pleasant sensation that seemed to welcome his very presence.

Ever so gently Gaster coiled his skeletal digits around the beating heart, and to his surprise… nothing happened. Odd. He had at least expected there to be some sort of resp-

And then it hit.

Pain. Excruciating, unbearable pain. Gaster tried to scream, but of course no sound could be heard. Every bone in his body felt as though it has been set ablaze, and his soul, his soul was a raging inferno. It felt as though it was being torn to pieces as something tried to force itself into him, burrowing deep into his very being.

He tried to force his hand to relinquish its hold on the heart, but found himself unable to do so.

The void itself seemed to be trying to banish the soul as the world began to flicker around Gaster. Again he cried out in agony, but this time, he heard it. The sound was distorted, mixed with the overbearing screech of static, but he had heard it without a doubt.

However, the scientist was a little busy trying to stop his soul from being torn to pieces to worry about it in that moment.

The edges of Gaster's vision began to rapidly darken as he teetered dangerously towards falling unconscious. As a last ditch effort he tried again to release his vice like grip on the soul, gritting his teeth and trying to forcedly pulling arm away, but was once again fruitless in his efforts.

He had been absolutely certain that the soul would simply flicker out of existence, like everything else he had meddled with since his time in the void and harbor no ill consequence. Now he was practically begging it to shatter, praying that it would…

 ***But it refused.**


	2. Chapter 1

**~~But satisfaction brought it back~~**

Gaster was unsure of what exactly had transpired. One moment he had been trying desperately to wrench his hand away from a rather persistent human soul, and the next he awoke to find himself led face down in the snow.

His breath was laboured, and ever bone in his body ached with a ferocious intensity. With his every inhale the icy air racked across his ribs, making it harder to quell his erratic breathing.

Groaning in pain, he gingerly lifted his head from its pillow of white particles, using a hand to brush the icy specs from his skull. For a moment the scientist considered laying in the snow for a while longer, to gather himself, but quickly decided against it.

The first thing that struck Gaster as odd was the fact that he had been unconscious. In the void, it was impossible to 'sleep' seeing as time did not pass. It meant he had no need to rest. So for him to have been unconscious was, in a sense, impossible. That was, if he was still in the void.

Was it possible that he had escaped the dead space? No, surely not. A human soul simply could not be that powerful. It was unfathomable. Wasn't it?

Clearing the thoughts from his mind with a shake of the head, he propped himself up by an elbow, releasing a pained sigh from his nonexistent lungs as his eyes eagerly began to scrutinize his surrounding environment. He was surrounded on all sides by towering evergreens, and gathered that he was still deep within the snowy forests on the outskirts of Snowdin.

Slowly Gaster pushed himself upright into a sitting position, wincing at the effort of moving his uncooperative, stiff limbs.

Eventually the skeleton managed to clamber to his feet, feeling strangely unbalanced as he awkwardly swayed from side to side. Gravity was an odd sensation to be so suddenly reacquainted with. Again, in the void, gravity was nonexistent, it was impossible to tell up from down.

He had to devise a way of determining if he was truly free of the void's clutches. He quickly recalled everything he was unable to do while in the void to pick something easy he could test, and eventually settled on trying to use his magic.

With a shaky deep breath Gaster attempted to call upon his magic from within his soul. At first he was met with a searing pain that seemed to tear away his breath and cause his head to begin pounding, but amazingly, both his left and right eyes began to emit a soft violet glow.

The purple light reflected off the surrounding white sleet as his magic began to flicker from his eye sockets like flames.

Though dull in comparison to his usual vibrant violet flames, his magic was working well given the current circumstances. While in the void it was beyond Gaster's ability to summon forth his power he was now quite capable of doing so, albeit with a degree of difficulty.

He quickly allowed his magic to dissipate, not wanting to strain himself any further than necessary. Gaster still had yet to examine the inflicted damage to his soul, but decided he could put it off for the time being.

Cautiously the scientist edged a foot forward, trying to recall his motor skills and the general principals of walking. Soon enough he had recovered the basics, regaining his accustomed level of control over his movements.

Having spent so much of his attention on trying to walk, Gaster had not taken a moment to consider where exactly it was he was going.

The first place to pop into his head was Snowdin, his home. He was desperate to see Sans and Papyrus again after so long apart. He knew Sans would remember him, but was unsure of Papyrus. The skeleton had been a mere three years of age when Gaster had met with his fate.

However, as hard as Gaster tried to convince himself that it would've been for the best to simply go home, he knew that he was neither physically or emotionally able to handle facing the music just yet. And so he decided to do what he did best, focus on his work.

The faster he reached his lab, the faster he could finish his work, and the faster he could reunite with his boys. The very thought of seeing them again, after so, so many years…

 *** It filled him with DETERMINATION.**

Alphys was sat perched upon one of the few chairs within her lab, her tail coiled loosely around her short legs. She had just set down after a tiring day to re-watch some of her favorite anime and to tuck into a steaming bowl of instant noodles.

The day had been largely uneventful and it had seemed to drag on for eternity. Not that the reptilian doctor was looking for anything 'exciting' to happen, she was perfectly content spending the day watching through her cameras and installing a few new improvements to Mettaton's body.

Alphys was about to press the play button to begin her 'study of human history' when there was a distinctive knocking at the lab's main door.

It startled the scientist more than she would like to admit, she had not been expecting anyone, especially at this time of night. She presumed whatever it was, was important for someone to trek all the way through the hotlands. Well. That or it was Undying deciding to pay a visit.

The anxious reptile precariously placed her meal on one of the crowded desks beside her. Almost all of the work surfaces were covered in an assortment of different papers, piled high. It was only now that she seemed to take into account the state of the lab, and a sorry state at that. It had certainly seen better days.

Alphys slid off her chair and began making her way towards the door, nervously sliding her glasses further up the bridge of her snout.

She reached out and activated the door, unlocking it so that it slid open to reveal her visitor.

When she was who was on the other side however, her heart seemed to skip a beat, her whole posture stiffening as eyes widened and her mouth hung slightly agape in raw shock. She was quite literally speechless.

"Doctor Alphys," the other began providing a small inclination of a smile.

His words seemed to snap her out of her awe. Alphys snapped close her maw and swallowed the lump that had begun to form in her throat. She wrung her hands together in front of her to stop them from twitching and forced herself to blink.

"Might I come in?" the tall skeleton inquired politely, his head tilting slightly down to gaze upon the smaller scientist as he waited patiently outside the lab. His voice was rougher than it had been the last time Alphys had heard him speak.

Alphys finally managed to find her words, "O-o-of course," she murmured in a tone almost inaudible as she slowly backed away from the door, her eyes firmly trained on the other, "M-make your-yourself at home." With no little effort she pried apart her hands and used a shaky arm to gesture around the lab in a semi welcoming manner.

The skeleton confidently strode into the building, his arms firmly clasped behind his back, and walked straight past Alphys, further into the lab. He paused mid stride upon seeing the building's interior. There were piles of cups drained of their contents, stacks of paper with undecipherable notes scribbled across their surface, numerous figurines placed strategically around the several of the desks, there was even a bag of dog food slumped against one of the walls. In short, it was a mess.

The black clad skeleton seemed to wince at the very sight of it. Alphys knew for certain that Gaster had always been a bit of a 'clean freak', everything had its rightful place. Asgore help anyone who moved something without telling the doctor beforehand.

Everything about the scientist before her seemed to be slowly crawling back to Alphys, his rather intimidating features, his confident personality, even his attire seemed to be unchanged. He sported a light grey turtle neck that was hidden within his long black cloak. It seemed familiar to Alphys.

The only thing that was new about Wing Dings would be the two large cracks that transcended his face. One reached down from the top of his skull and finished at his right eye, juxtaposed by the other crack which reached from his left eye and ran downwards.

Alphys readjusted her glasses once more before trailing after the doctor. She paused at his side, looking up at him expectantly.

"I require use of your computer" He stated calmly. Without waiting for a response form the small bipedal lizard he abruptly pivoted around on his heel and stalking towards said computer. He pushed the chair aside, opting to stand while he accessed the computer system.

His fingers seemed to effortlessly dance across the control panel, keying in numerous commands for the computer to run. He began accessing files, his eyes slowly sweeping over each document with slight difficulty. He reached towards the pocket on the right side of his chest and began fumbling around for something.

Finding nothing he pried his eyes from the screen and glancing at the pocket he had previously been searching. He muttered something under his breath before looking back to the computer screen, only this time he was leant closer.

Only then did it seem to click for Alphys, Gaster required reading glasses, much like Papyrus. She also recalled Gaster used to stow his glasses in the top pocket of his lab coat. No wonder he seemed to be having trouble reading the information. She made a mental note to try and find a pair for him tomorrow, that is if he was still there and hadn't found his own, and, well, if Alphys wasn't simply hallucinating.

She edged closer to the skeleton, peeping up at what he was so thoroughly scrutinizing. However, her curiosity was not rewarded, the entire document he was gazing at had been written in a strange indecipherable language that consisted of odd symbols.

"D-do you require any assistance, Do-doctor Gaster?" She asked timidly. It felt odd to address someone as her superior, other than Asgore that is, seeing as she was the head Royal Scientist. Sure, she would never treat anyone less than equal (she had not the heart to do it), but this man, authority seemed to radiate off him. It was impossible to miss.

Gaster shook his head, eyes still firmly glued to the screen, "It is quite alright Alphys, I believe I have found what I was looking for." He assured her.

The reptilian scientist gave him a nod despite knowing he would not see it. She turned away and began pondering what to do next. The night had taken a definite turn for the strange. It had started off normal enough, but the next thing Alphys knew, she had willingly invited a dead man into her lab, allowed his to snoop through her computer without question, and now she was at a loss on what to do… What on Earth was in those noodles?

Speaking of noodles, Alphys decided she would have to start cleaning up the lab to make it a little more bearable for her company.

"Oh, and Alphys," Alphys paused mid step, something about the way he began the sentence sent shivers down her spine, she turned, looking at the skeleton once more. This time however he had turned to face her.

"Y-yes d-doctor?" she stuttered, finding it increasingly hard to keep eye contact, let alone speak.

"I trust, you will not speak of my presence here," he continued, his voice so cold it could freeze the hotlands, it certainly made Alphys' spine prickle with anxiety, "The results of that could be most _catastrophic_."

By now the white pinpricks of light that symbolized his pupils had receded, leaving only the black pits of his eye sockets visible, that and the evident scowl he was wearing.

"O-of course, d-doctor." Alphys replied, trying her best to sound convincing.


	3. Chapter 2

**~~Past Experiences~~**

An exhausted sigh filled the air of the small cottage, as Sans ran a bony hand over the top of his skull. Even with his permanent grin still firmly in place, it was easy to tell the short skeleton's mind was somewhere it would rather not be.

Something was wrong. Something was most definitely wrong.

It was not something he could describe, it was but a mere feeling, a hunch perhaps. But if the past had taught him anything, it was that his intuition was never wrong. He had learnt the hard way the consequences of dismissing his instincts, and he preferred not to relive such ramifications a second time around.

A sound from upstairs caught the skeleton's attention. He spared a glance at the clock to see it was just past dawn, which meant that his brother would be awake. How Papyrus could wake with the sun each and every day still never ceased to amaze.

On a regular day Sans would have remained in his bed for many hours yet. Today, however, was different. Atypical of his usual routine, the comedian had spent the entire evening awake with only the sound of the ticking clock for company.

Several minutes passed before the short skeleton finally caught sight of his brother. Papyrus strutted right out of his room and down the stairs, but paused almost mid-step the moment his pupils landed on Sans.

"SANS?" Papyrus asked, blinking as though he did not trust the image his eyes were presenting to his brain, a flicker of confusion crossing his skeletal features.

"yeah bro?" Sans responded, providing a broad grin to the taller skeleton.

Papyrus simply continued to watch him for a good long moment before making his response, "WHY ARE YOU UP SO EARLY?" he asked, tilting his head slightly to the side in question, something quite possibly picked up from the numerous canine guards in Snowdin, "YOUR SHIFT DOESN'T START FOR ANOTHER FEW HOURS YET." He continued, his confused frown deepening.

"just felt like it i guess," was the best he could offer, his eyes softening causing his smile to appear laid back and relaxed, he didn't want Papyrus to worry. "'sides you should be more worried about getting ready for your training with undying today. you know she hates waiting around."

Papyrus didn't seem to quite buy into what Sans was selling, but apparently decided to merely let it go, "YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT SANS, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, CANNOT BE TARDY. NOT IF I WANT TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD!" he exclaimed, a generous smile making its way onto his face as his clenched fist striking against the chest of his battle body.

If it were possible for him to smile any wider Sans definitely would have, but as it were his grin was already as large as he could physically muster, "that's the spirit bro," he said, crossing his arms behind his head to create a makeshift pillow for himself and leaning back into the green sofa.

Papyrus bobbed his head in acknowledgement before swivelling on his heels and heading towards the kitchen, "SEEING AS YOU ARE UP ALREADY, I SHALL PREPARE US BOTH A HEARTY BREAKFAST." he suddenly came to an abrupt stop just short of the kitchen. His crimson gloved hand flew up to rest on his chin. He began stroking it contemplatively, all of a sudden seemingly lost in deep thought, "SANS…" he began, turning to face the shorter of the two.

By now Sans had let his arms drop down to his sides, his posture erect and his previous grin faltering momentarily, "yeah?" he almost timidly asked. He didn't like Papyrus' unexpected change in demeanour. Not in the slightest.

"DO YOU GET THE FEELING YOU ARE FORGETTING SOMETHING?" the slender skeleton inquired letting his hand also drop to his side, and staring back at Sans expectantly. It seemed like an innocent question, but it gave Sans a bad vibe.

Sans gave a slow shake of his head, "well if you forgot about it, it can't have been that important right?" he countered with his own question, feeling his grin falter for a second time and a less than reassuring expression claiming his features.

Fortunately, however, Papyrus did not pick up on it and merely shrugged his shoulders, his previous energy seeming to have returned within the blink of a metaphorical eye. "OF COURSE. YOU ARE RIGHT SANS, I'M SURE IT WILL COME BACK TO ME LATER." He beamed, waving the issue aside, his smile returning.

Sans was pretty sure that even if the world was ending Papyrus would manage to find something worth smiling about.

When Papyrus eventually turned back to his earlier task Sans let out a silent sigh, his eye sockets screwing closed for a moment. When he opened them he had regained his earlier resolve. He would get down to the bottom of this, and soon.

But first, Sans had to make sure his younger brother didn't burn down the house with his cooking. One close call was enough hazardous situations for one week. Curse Undying and her unruly cooking methods.

 **##########**

The previous evening Alphys had left the labs early in order to head home. She had tried to sleep, but her mind was constantly plagued by fearful thoughts. What would she say if he had found the documents concerning her studies of DT? Or worse, what would she do if he had tried to access the True Lab and come across a few of her mishaps?

Alphys couldn't help the anxiety that seemed to climb higher and higher, building with every moment it took for her to enter the lab. For the past few minutes she had simply stood before the looming ominous door of the laboratory, trying to come up with a response to every possible worst case scenario she could think of.

Finally, after gather up what little remained of her courage, the bipedal reptile unlocked the pristine white door. It moved aside with a whooshing sound, and Alphys stepped into the relatively cool environment of the lab.

What Alphys saw left her speechless. The entire lab from top to bottom was simply glistening, she could quite literally see her reflection in every surface. The endless piles of used mugs had simply vanished, along with the unsightly piles of dog feed, and the scattered bundles of paperwork were all neatly stacked in piles.

The last thing Alphys set her eyes upon was the tall skeleton, who was lounging rather lazily in the seat in front of the computer's monitor, sipping at what she presumed was a cup of tea from the faint aroma that hung in the air.

She watched as Gaster swivelled around in the chair, fixating the reptile with a relatively warm smile, "Ah, Doctor Alphys," he greeted, placing his cup onto a waiting saucer on the now tidy desk, "I took the liberty of cleaning up the lab," he continued, gesturing around at his handiwork.

"Wow," was all Alphys was capable of in that moment, her jaw hanging slightly ajar in stunned silence. The only other person she had seen taking so much pride in a clean well organised living space was Papyrus. It seemed only too obvious that the two were related. Although, also taking into account the current lazy grin he sported it was quite easy to draw the connection between him and Sans.

Gaster was essentially the mixture between two polar opposite people. He was someone who took both pride in a clean and an organised workspace, and someone who enjoyed to simply put his feet up and relax.

"T-Thanks, I-I was going to start cleaning up today, bu-but-" she was cut off mid-sentence before she could continue any further.

"Nonsense, it was no trouble at all," the tall skeleton assured her with a dismissive wave of his hand to end the conversation there and then, "It took a mere few hours is all." He continued, standing from his seat and stretching out his limbs. Alphys was sure she heard one of his joints crack.

"A few hours?" she repeated aghast. Well, he was definitely where Papyrus received his persevering nature from.

He nodded in confirmation, brushing some unseen foreign object from his coat before striding towards the small scientist with no small amount of confidence in his every step, his hands coming to rest behind his back in their usual allocated position. The skeleton stopped just short of her, his placid expression still firmly fixated on his features.

"I trust that is alright with you?" he asked, looking over her facial features. She quickly realised she still had a shocked expression and hastily changed it into a rather awkward smile.

Alphys gave a soft laugh, though it did little to lessen the ever present tension that hung in the air like some foul smell. "No-No, ugh, that's perfectly a-alright, it's just that I wasn't expecting you to…" she trailed off, the tone of her voice lowering in a steady diminuendo.

Despite her unsure response, Gaster simply nodded again, smiling a little more, obviously trying to comfort the fretful lizard. In response she gave him another half-smile and wrung her hands together in front of her.

"Calm yourself Alphys, I meant nothing by it," he assured her, gently placing his slim skeletal hand onto her shoulder, moving slowly as though dealing with a startled animal, ready to bolt at the bat of an eye should he move too swiftly. And in all honesty, Alphys did indeed feel just about ready to do so. However, she knew the doctor could be patient, and that, given time, she would eventually warm up to him as with the rest of her friends, she just needed a little more time.

She nodded, distrusting her voice to further their conversation without somehow managing to mess it all up.

Evidently coming to the conclusion that Alphys was going to say nothing more, the skeleton removed his hand and took a step back away from her, restoring her sense of personal space, and straightening up, seeing as he had to lean down in order to rest a hand on her shoulder. He pivoted around on his heel, turning away from the bipedal reptile, "If you need me, I will be down in the lab." He told her, taking a step in the direction of the elevator.

Alphys felt her heart leap into her throat, he wasn't meant to go down there, "You can't go down there!" she blurted out, eyes wide as a feeling of panic began to seep in, quickly rising with each passing second.

Gaster seemed taken aback by her sudden outburst, turning so that he faced her once more, "If you are concerned I will discover your Amalgamates, then rest assured, I already know of their existence and am not bothered by them in the slightest," he assured her, maintaining a cool tone to try and calm her once more.

He wasn't concerned? How was he not concerned? She had done such terrible things to those monsters, so how was it he could just brush it off so easily, as though it didn't matter at all? She wasn't sure whether that was a good sign or not, "Oh-Okay th-then…" She wasn't sure what else she could say to that.

For the umpteenth time that morning Gaster gave Alphys a nod, yet again turning and swiftly covering the distance between himself and the elevator. He activated the lift, causing the doors to sweep open, and without hesitation he stepped inside. The doors closed and the skeleton was gone.

Alphys let out a breath that she had not realised she was holding. She closed her eyes for a moment to try and regain some of her former composure. Nothing could go wrong, right? Either way, she decided not to dwell on it for too long.

Snapping her eyes open once more, the doctor began walking towards her computer, deciding to catch up on anything she had missed while she was away.

To her surprise he computer was already open to a file. Her first response would have been to immediately close the document, seeing no worth in snooping through Gaster's files, but something caught her eye.

Fortunately, some of the document wasn't written in those strange symbols, and from a glance she could see it consisted largely of notes, various observations, even if she couldn't read all of it. She felt bad intruding on the skeleton doctor's private records, but for some reason felt inclined to continued.

The heading of the document was what caught her eye, _Project Intercision_. She was sure she had heard that word before, but couldn't quite place it. Whatever it was, the word didn't sit well with her.

On further investigation, it turned out the document was the file of a patient involved in said project.

 _ID: #19011419_

 _Gender: Male_

 _Age: 6 years_

 _Species: Skeleton_

There were many other short notes involving magic levels, behaviour, DT levels, but the dot point that stopped Alphys dead in her tracks was the patient's name.

 _Name: Sans_


	4. Chapter 3

_A/N Heya everyone, I'd just like to thank you all for your continual support, it really ***Filled me with DETERMINATION** to post this next chapter. It's a little longer than the other two and closer to the usual length of my chapters. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter ^^ ~Nera_

 **~~Mystery and Magic~~**

Gaster stepped out from the elevator and into the foggy laboratory. He began to cautiously prowl through the dark depths of the true lab, keen to avoid any unnecessary confrontations with its monstrous inhabitants.

He stopped before a wall that housed a line of lockers. The lockers were all painted a light emerald green, much like the rest of the lab and retained much of its original colour, although the paint was beginning to gradually flake off if brushed against. He pulled one open with an ear aching screech of metal on metal and hastily stripped himself of his long black trench coat and placed it inside on one of the hooks.

The doctor snatched a different white lab coat, dotted with patches of other colours, evidence of previous use, and slipped it on with practiced ease. He grabbed a notebook and pen, positioning the pen in his breast pocket and the notebook in one of the inner pockets. Having everything he needed he forced the stiff door closed once more before setting off deeper into the labs.

His shoes quietly clicked as he walked down one of the long hallways. Although he was trying to be reasonably quite, he was by no means hiding from the Amalgamates. In fact, it would seem to be the opposite way around. Every time Gaster rounded a corner, the sound of scurrying could soon be heard as some creature darted off back into the shadows and out of his way.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to see through the thick fog that appeared to have descended due to the lack of proper ventilation. Fortunately, Gaster had already seen to restarting the extractor fans the previous night. Perhaps even more fortunately, he had not run into Endogeny during either of his ventures below. He had clearly heard the canine barking off in the distance, but had yet to come across its path.

Gaster passed through a doorway and into a large room, he barely even recalled walking over to the room, he had done it out of habit alone. The only feature that made the room stand out from the others was the large machine mounted on its far wall. The machine, better known as the determination extractor, had a thick layer of dust that coated it from top to bottom, implying it had been scarce used since the last time Gaster was in the labs. He took a moment to frown at its sorry state before making his way towards another, smaller, machine.

He stopped just before it and gazed down at the dust ridden surface and couldn't help letting out another sigh. He fought down the urge to fetch a pale of water and cloth, and simply settled for brushing off the keypad to the best of his abilities. He pushed one of the many buttons adorning the control panel and listened as the machine whirred to life with a series of bleeps and flashes.

He dusted off his hands while waiting for the device to reboot. Finally, the screen flickered into existence, displaying a mainly white screen. Seeing the main section of the machine was in working order, Gaster reached over to another section of the machine and switched it on. It took a good long moment, and for a split second Gaster thought it would not work, but eventually it too reverberated to life with a slight fizzling sound accompanying it.

It was quite obvious how old and neglected all the machinery had become. The skeleton knew that he would need to give everything a good fine turning. There were parts that required replacement, and other parts that had never worked to begin with and would soon find their way to the dump one way or another.

Gaster quickly took a glance at the computer screen, noticing several figures appearing in contrast against the mainly white image. They were all set at zero for the moment, but other than that seemed to be in perfect working order given the machine's age and lack of use. He moved to a smaller compartment of the machine, a strange glass cylinder with several wires and tubes attached to its top. At the base of the cylinder was a detachable side, through which a soul could be inserted.

Deciding it was time to get to work, Gaster summoned forth his soul for the first time since he had been pulled back into the land of the living. Back into the plane of existence. With a slight tugging sensation his soul was pulled from his ribs. The very sight of it unnerved him greatly.

The soul was its usual vibrant violet colour, but its surface was littered with deep cracks. However, the cracks were not the only worrisome thing about the doctor's soul, no, the thing that really caught his eye, was the bright green glow it was emitting. With every pulsation the soul began to shine with green rather than its usual purplish colour, and it wasn't just the overall soul glowing green, the cracks also emitted the odd tone.

As it would appear, somehow Gaster had managed to absorb the human's soul when he was pulled back into the normal realm.

Quickly reaching into his pocket he produced the notebook and began flipping through the pages in search of the page that detailed souls and their colour. While all human souls contained a vast amount of DETERMINATION, the personality of each human effected and essentially shaped their soul, down to its very colour. Each different colour had a different meaning and represented a different core strength. It identified each soul's very nature.

He had recorded many details on the nature of souls, many of which were written in the book held in his grasp. He had found the book while cleaning through the upper level of the lab the previous evening, and truth be told, he had not decided to just give the place a little 'spring-cleaning', but he had in fact been searching for his old research notes.

When he had fallen into the core and supposedly 'died', Gaster's equipment and research had been passed down to the next Royal Scientist, in this case Alphys, save for a few _certain_ projects which were claimed by Sans.

Unfortunately, many of his notes were thrown away due to his writing being impossible to decipher except for a select few. Sans was one of those few, and as luck would have it, he managed to hang on to a fair amount of documents. He felt a slight pang of melancholy deep within his chest thinking about Sans, he truly whished Sans was there.

Ever since Sans was a mere toddler he had, had a large fascination with Gaster's work. Of course, at that age he had no idea what he was doing, but for some reason Sans seemed to aspire to do everything his father was capable of. It was because of this, the moment the young skeleton could read he was attempting to understand advanced chemistry and physics.

Many a time Gaster would come home to be asked any series of questions ranging from "Why is the combustion enthalpy of alcohols connected to the length of their carbon chains?" or "How does the mass of an object contribute to its gravity?", one time he even asked Gaster for the theoretical definition of a Black Hole. In short it was a real mixed bag of questions that depended on whatever book Sans happened to be reading. Gaster was hard pressed to come up with all the answers to the young monster's questions.

It seemed no matter how many questions he answered, no matter how many books he provided, Sans' curiosity and need to know more new things was almost unquenchable. Fortunately, however, Sans' curiosity was mostly theoretical… Unlike Papyrus, who was more of a kinaesthetic learner, which was not always a good thing. There were more than a few holes in the wall of their old home from Papyrus running a few experiments with his magic under the so called 'supervision' of his older brother.

Of course, Sans would always deny having anything to do with the large bones sticking out of the walls and floor boards.

Before Papyrus came along, Gaster found another was to sate Sans' curiosity. He began bringing Sans with him to work, allowing him to act as his assistant. Despite his age, the young skeleton acted very mature when in the labs, excluding the occasional double entendre here or there. Although, he never really grew out of his witty puns, did he?

Gaster couldn't help the smile that tugged at his jaw as he through back on the memories. He really couldn't wait until he was back home.

Finally, he came across the page he was looking for. Down the page was a list of seven human souls they had collected thus far, and beside them the core trait associated with each colour; Light Blue – Patience, Orange – Bravery, Blue – Integrity, Purple – Perseverance, Yellow – Justice, and Green – Kindness. So, as it would seem, his soul had become imbued with the strength of kindness.

Gaster could have argued that kindness wasn't exactly a dangerous trait to have, but quickly recalled that Undyne, the aquatic captain of the Royal Guard worked solely with green attacks, and she was certainly no monster to be trifled with. Perhaps because he now had a green soul mixed in with his purple one he would gain the ability to master some form of green effect much like Undyne's, the ability to freeze a foe in place.

Giving a shake of his head the rid himself of those thoughts, Gaster gently guided his soul to the open cylinder and nestled it inside securely. He closed the container, feeling a slight strain on his soul from it being partially cut off, but other than that he was fine.

He flicked through the book until he came across a page that was blank. Under normal circumstances the doctor would have summoned a pair of hands using his magic to write notes for him, but decided it would be a bad idea to place too much strain on his soul for the time being and instead thought writing with his actual hands would have to suffice.

Gaster keyed in several different commands into the computer, and it gave another whir as scanners activated and began running diagnostics on the soul located within the glass cylinder. They continued for several minutes, with Gaster occasionally wincing in discomfort, before all the scans had been completed and the results were calculated and displayed.

Before checking up on the results Gaster removed his soul from the glass compartment and willed it back into his chest. He gave a soft sigh of relief, feeling the soul back in its rightful place. He quickly turned back to the computer screen.

He set the notebook open and pulled the pen out of his front pocket, giving it a click and began scribbling down all the information portrayed on the screen. His LV and HP levels were all normal, set on 166 and 11,666. While most monsters would be disgusted by such a high LV count, it really wasn't Gaster's fault. To fight in a war, a certain Level of Violence was required to survive, and by the end of it both victims and victors acquired plenty of it.

Gaster opted to not think overly about it and continue onto the next set of values. His magic levels were higher than normal, and that was dangerous considering he was a LV 166 monster.

He mumbled incoherently to himself about the values of LV and how they could possibly be effecting his magic level. "Perhaps a D.T. test is in order," he stated to himself. If his determination levels were fluctuating than it would have a definite effect on his magic levels.

Tentatively he called out his soul once more and inserted it back into the tube. He inched back to the computer, setting the command to test for DETERMINATION, and clicked his pen out of habit, ready to jot down the results. The average level of DT for a monster, was approximately twenty percent, with a maximum of thirty before monsters began to lose their form. The structure of their cells would rapidly begin to shift and change, unable to remain together, causing a monster's form to shift with it, and in the simplest of terms, they would begin to melt.

And so, when the machine had finally finished making its rather concerning grinding sounds, Gaster had the fright of his life upon seeing the results. "No," he breathed disbelieving, "No, that-that's impossible," he continued, staring at the screen, his mouth opening and closing like some beached fish, with no sound coming out.

 _DETERMINATION LEVEL – 82%_

Something was very wrong. Monsters couldn't have that high a DT level, it was physically impossible on all accounts. Ninety percent was the average DT level of a human, so it was impossible that his levels were so high. He began to gently massage his temples, feeling a soft pain in his skull, generally a precursor to a nasty migraine.

He groaned, the damnable machine must have been faulty, he decided with an irritated groan. After another moment of giving the computer screen a rather condescending glare, he gave the pen a click and placed it into his pocket, followed by the notebook. He powered down the device before retracting his soul and pushing it back into place.

Gaster pivoted on his heel and began walking back towards the elevator. He wanted something to take his mind off the new revelation.

By the time Gaster reached the locker again and heaved it open, he had decided to go and buy some much needed new glasses. As it currently stood, the skeleton didn't want to go to the city, that could cause some unwanted and unnecessary trouble. Perhaps Gerson, in Waterfall would have some glasses that he could wear, at least until he managed to find a proper pair.

It was worth a shot. He needed to go somewhere he could have a good think to himself, and Waterfall was as peaceful a place if ever there was one.

 **###########**

Sans calmly stepped out the front door. He was met with a sudden rush of icy air and several tiny particles of snow that were blown in his direction. The stout skeleton couldn't help but smile a little at that. Snowdin was such a quiet and placid town it was hard to stay down for too long.

Several minutes prior, Papyrus had left for Waterfall. As per usual, it was time for him to meet up with Undyne for their private training. Now, it was time for Sans to head off to his post by the RUINS to begin his vigilant watch.

With such a strange feeling about the air, Sans normally would have been reluctant to allow Papyrus to go off by himself, but he would be perfectly safe with Undyne. What's the worst that could happen?

Sans gave a soft chuckle, his breath steaming up the air before him, this was Undyne and Papyrus he was thinking about. Their cooking wasn't exactly the safest he had ever seen.

He didn't bother locking the doors, it's not like there was much crime, especially within the small township. Here, everyone knew everyone. Sans began trudging through the light layer of snow on the ground, some of the ice dampening his rather inadequate footwear.

As he walked through the town, Sans would occasionally return the gesture of a wave at the odd person, or the occasional "Morning," here and there.

Once he was clear of the town, he decided it was just about time for a shortcut. It was nice to walk through the icy landscape, but in truth, his sentry outpost was rather far away.

The only person other than himself that knew of Sans' little shortcuts was Papyrus, and he preferred to keep it that way. He ensured he was alone before he began to focus his magic. There was a reason Sans called his shortcuts, well, shortcuts. Because that's exactly what they are. Not to be confused with teleportation.

How it worked was rather innate and was difficult to explain. In essence, Sans would select a point, somewhere he knew or had been before and picture its exact location in space. From there, with a large amount of focus and a fair amount of magical power, Sans could bend the space between the point at which he was located and his destination, pulling the two points closer and closer until they were side by side. Then, he would break the thin barrier between the two points in space, and could simply step through from place to place.

However, the moment he was through, the space that had been stretched would rebound back, which meant that it was both physically and mentally draining, as every time Sans used a shortcut he was stepping through his own personal wormhole, and the moment he was on the other side space would crash back into place. It was no wonder the first few times Sans tried it he fell unconscious under the weight of the universe snapping back into its rightful position.

Nowadays, Sans was used to the sensation, it had gradually become less and less of a pain with each time he did it, until now it was only a slight irritation at the back of his mind. The only exception was when he travelled extreme distances, the further he travelled, the more space he had to bend, the worse the implications.

Sans cast aside the thoughts and focused on his destination, just outside the RUINS would do he decided. He felt his magic locate his exact destination and quickly pulled the two sections of space directly next to each other. From there he could walk from one place to another as the walls between the two places were so thin.

And without further though, Sans stepped through.


	5. Chapter 4

**~~Tra la la~~**

Alphys continued typing away on the computer keyboard, the sound of her constant tapping being the only sound to be heard within the now pristine white laboratory. The silence was almost unnerving. Usually there was the sound of machinery or the gently sound of bubbling magma from outside, but sometimes, on a rare few occasions, everything was silent. Normally, she would simply continue working and pay no mind to the quiet atmosphere, but as she sorted through Gaster's records the silence seemed almost unbearable.

She couldn't shake the feeling that she was doing something wrong by trying to search through the files, even if she technically owned the computer and everything on it. Every slight sound seemed all the more prominent in the deafening silence, and caused her to flinch and her fretful heart to skip a beat.

The stout reptile took a deep calming breath and closed her eyes, pinching the ridge of her snout, and displacing her glasses slightly in the process. So far Alphys had made little progress in her search for other documents detailing the so called "Intercision Project". It was difficult to find files that were relevant, and even more so, documents that were not written in those strange symbols. From what she had gathered, the project involved monster souls, and their connection to both magic and determination levels. From the strings of data she had scavenged, she also pieced together that the practical trials of various experiments had less than desirable results, and of all the patient records she had found, none had survived the trials, save for one young skeleton.

What exactly the experiments entailed were still largely a mystery, and Alphys was running out of resources. She had tried to cross check the files on "Intercision" with all other files on the known database, but had turned up with nothing. What intercision was in itself still remained unknown to the scientist, and she seemed to be getting no further any time soon. The only way she could find out what the project was, was to get the information right from the horse's mouth, and ask either Gaster, or Sans about it.

Perhaps it was her anxiety, or her mind deciding the trials were less than ethical, but either way, she decided it would be best not to mention her discovery of the project, at least until she knew more about it. But how else could she learn more on it, if she could only find records that were indecipherable, and in some cases, missing entirely. There were many such cases, where information on a trial seemed to be going well, with the selected patient's heath seeming to improve, before their records suddenly disappear without leaving so much as a trace of their existence. It gave Alphys a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she dreaded what may have happened to the poor soul.

One thing she happened to know for sure, was that her own patient records for the monsters who had since become amalgamates followed a similar pattern. The patient would come in ill, or in her case fallen down, they would begin to improve and seem to be on the path to recovery, before everything would suddenly fall apart and the patient's records would be dashed. She feared that the monsters of the Intercision Project had met with a similar fate.

However, that left room for yet another question. Why was Sans involved in the project? Sure, she knew he had some background in science; but what happened to make him take part in the trial first hand? Alphys was not sure. There were many things she was not sure about concerning this project, but one thing she did know, was that the previous head Royal Scientist's track record was becoming steadily darker the further she delved into the information.

There was another question that plagued the reptile's mind. Why was Gaster looking up all this information on the project so soon after only just returning? Again, the possible answers to that question gave Alphys a queasy feeling.

She winced as her mind raced through all the possible answers, both good and bad, before slowly opening her eyes again and releasing a heavy sigh from her nostrils. She repositioned her glasses safely on her snout and patted down her lab coat before returning to scouring the numerous records. She had only just found the point at which she had stopped reading a particular document when she heard the soft rumbling sound of the lift heading from the lower levels of the lab and rapidly heading back to up ground level.

Alphys gave a panicked yelp and immediately closed all of the files open on the computer. Once all the evidence of her little investigation had been disposed of, she quickly brought up the newest additions to Mettaton's body.

Mettaton's new appearance was something the scientist had kept strictly under wraps. The King had first proposed the idea of an entertainer for the Underground, to help boost the sagging morale of the citizens, and Alphys had immediately agreed it was a worthwhile endeavour. She had begun designing a robotic body shortly after meeting with a ghost that went by the name Hapstablook, and the two of them soon became good friends as a result. As it turned out, Hapstablook had always wanted to be an entertainer, but due to his ghostly appearance it made things hard. Fortunately, Alphys was able to create a solid body for her friend to inhabit, and hence Mettaton was born.

Now Alphys often spent her days installing upgrades to Mettaton's body, and eventually made it to be modelled after a human. It was still a work in progress as there were still a hand full of design flaws, the most prominent of which being his inefficient consumption of power. She had, had several ideas concerning a more ethical power source for the body to feed off, and had written up all the details on her computer.

If anyone was to look at the screen they would see nothing more than a long list of bullet points detailing various energy sources and their possible applications. Completely and utterly non-suspicious.

As if on cue, the doors of the elevator swished open and a slender figure stepped out. From his height alone it was easy for Alphys to tell it was Gaster, not that there was anyone else liable to be using the true lab's elevator. She watched his approach in eager trepidation, her tail twitching involuntarily from side to side from where she sat, curling and uncurling nervously. She repositioned her glasses again out of habit and swivelled around on the chair until she was facing the doctor straight on, listening to the steadily approaching clicking of his heels on the lab floor.

The skeleton came to a stop just in front of the small lizard, and she offered him a nervous half smile. She watched as he returned a more confident and reassuring expression before finally deciding it was an opportune moment to talk, "D-Did you find what you were l-looking for doctor?" she gingerly inquired, clutching her hands together and resting them gently on her lap.

Gaster gave a single nod, "I did indeed," he confirmed, clutching his own hands firmly behind his back and straightening up his posture before continuing, "Although I will be heading out now. I need to find myself a pair of glasses." He explained, gently tapping the side of his skull with one of his phalanges for emphasis. He seemed to express quite a lot through the use of his hands, Alphys decided.

"O-Of course, doctor. Take ah-as long as you need," She broadened her grin slightly, though it ended up appearing to be more of a grimace than a warm and encouraging look.

The doctor, however, did not seem to look too deeply into her anxious behaviour, and most likely brushed it off as being the scientist's usual timid nature. He gave her a final nod and wide grin before continuing on past her. Alphys turned to watch as the doors to the laboratory swept open. The hot air from outside rushed inside, causing the skeleton's long black coat to billow out behind him, and giving him a rather proud, regal appearance. He immediately stepped out into the warm breeze, and the doors sealed behind him.

Alphys let out a long resinating breath, screwing her eyes closed momentarily once she was sure she was alone. She ran a clawed hand across the top of her head and over the spines protruding from the back of her skull, a similar effect to running a hand through hair, before deciding it was time to get back to work.

 **##########**

Gaster took a wide surveying glance at his surroundings, taking in the rugged and treacherous Hotland terrain. He could hear the distinct bubbling of magma as it slowly flowed, and could sense the blistering heat that was radiating from it. Every now and then the molten rock would spew embers up into the air, singeing anything that dared get too close.

As unpleasant and inhospitable a landscape it was, at least it was less tense than in the lab. Tension had seemed to roll of Alphys in tangible waves and made even the usually calm and collected skeleton begin to feel uncomfortable.

Unbeknown to the small reptilian scientist, Gaster had taken a look at the computer before leaving. He had, had a terrible feeling he left some rather convicting documentation on the screen, but fortunately it was nowhere in sight, and there was only some of Alphys' work visible. He thought himself fortunate she had not seen it, as that would lead to many unwanted questions regarding his past work. He winced at the very memory of it. Those experiments certainly weren't his finest hour, and were something he would rather forget.

With a calming sigh, the monster rid his mind of the invading thoughts, and instead turned his mind to Waterfall. He set off at a slow leisurely gait, moving his hands so they sat lightly in his coat pockets. He began humming a soft melody to himself as he headed towards the dock. From there he would be able to go directly to his destination, via the Riverperson.

The Riverperson was an odd creature indeed. No one really knew what they were or what they did, other than ferry monsters from one end of the Underground to the other. One thing Gaster did know, however, was that the mysterious monster remembered him. He had observed the human known as Frisk for many a timeline, and sometimes, on the rarest of occasions, the Riverperson would mutter, "Tra la la. Beware the man who speaks in hands," and nothing more. How the strange person knew him, let alone remembered him was just yet another secret the monster harboured, the answer known to it, and it alone.

Descending the stairs, Gaster caught sight of the person his musings were centred around. The Riverperson stood in an ominous silence, their body turned to face the approaching skeleton. Their usual deep blue cloak was draped down over their body and the hood was pulled over their face, concealing it in shadows. Despite their eyes being hidden it was obvious who they were watching.

Without a second though, the scientist stepped onto the rickety wooden boat, swaying slightly as is bobbed up and down in the water. The Riverperson paid him no heed and turned away, looking over the bow of the boat. "Waterfall," Gaster finally announced, having finally gained his footing on the slightly damp floorboards.

No further words were exchanged as the boat seemed to begin moving all by itself, ploughing through the water, slicing through it effortlessly like a knife through warm butter. The two remained silent for a short while, until a familiar, "Tra la la," was heard. The tall skeleton waited patiently for the mysterious creature to continue as it always did, giving advice or odd statements that seemed to make no sense or bare any relevance. But what they said honestly stunned him into silence "Welcome back, doctor."

Gaster felt a chill run down his spine, and shifted his feet in discomfort. "Thanks…" he muttered back, sounding unsure of himself. He wasn't entirely sure what else to say. Fortunately, he needn't say anything further, as the Riverperson ended their conversation with another, "Tra la la," Concluding their conversation almost as quickly as it had begun.

There was no further talk, nor peasantries to be exchanged before the boat pulled up at the Waterfall dock. The sound of wood scraping on wood as the boat brushed against the platform was all that was heard before the boat came to a halt. Gaster stepped out onto the wooden platform, just as the Riverperson called out after him, "Tra la la. Watch your step, you wouldn't want to _Fall In_." He could practically hear the smirk in the other monster's voice.

He ignored the snide comment, and continued on, albeit with clenched teeth. He knew that giving the Riverperson an earful was a waste of time, and he had used up enough of the day as it was. Perhaps he would walk back to Hotland. Besides, he could see Gerson's shop from where he was already, and so quickly made his way towards it. At the sound of wood on wood once more Gaster took a glance back over his shoulder whilst continuing to walk, noticing the Riverperson was already setting off. He was about to turn his gaze back to where he was going, when he all of a suddenly slammed into something hard.

The skeleton grunted, tipping backwards. He fortunately managed to stretch out his arms and regain his balance before he could topple over. Gaster rubbed the back of his head before giving it a quick shake to snap out of his daze. His white eyes drifted up towards the person he had crashed into, and his non-existent heart leapt into his throat, causing him to make a strangled choking sound.

"Pa-Papyrus?" An uncharacteristic stutter came to his voice as the unbidden word left him, and the doctor had to fight down the urge to pull the tall skeleton into an embrace. He had to mentally remind himself that Papyrus would have no memory of him, "My sincerest apologies," he quickly offered, "Are you alright?" he asked, knowing full well that out of the two of them he had been the more stunned. His eyes quickly looked over the aforementioned skeleton, taking in everything about him, from his pristine white 'battle body' to the crimson scarf that hung loosely around his shoulders.

Papyrus gave an eager nod of the head, positively beaming, "OH NO, IT WAS MY FAULT. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN PAYING MORE ATTENTION," he said, waving his gloved hand in a somewhat dismissive manor, "AND YES, I AM QUITE ALRIGHT, SIR." He added, confirming Gaster's assumption.

Gaster was a mere head taller than Papyrus, and only when the two were stood side by side did he finally realise how much he had grown.

"WOWIE, I'VE NEVER SEEN ANOTHER SKELETON BEFORE, EXCEPT MY BROTHER AND I!" Papyrus exclaimed practically quivering with boundless excitement. He watched as the young skeleton's face slowly contorted into a somewhat confused expression and he seemed to calm, "ERM, HOW IS IT YOU KNOW MY NAME?" he asked, providing a crooked smile and tilting his head slightly.

Gaster gave a nervous chuckle, he wasn't sure how exactly to answer the question in a way that wouldn't end in disaster. His hands were wrung together tightly, his phalanges gripping together so tightly he feared he might break his own hands. "Uh, well, you see…" he trailed off, almost cracking under Papyrus' warm, tender expression, but he held strong, "I knew you and your brother when you were younger," he vaguely answered, watching as the other skeleton's face grew even more joyous, and hearing him gasp perhaps a little overdramatically. He had to hold back from laughing a little at the display.

"Sans would remember me, though I doubt you would," he finished, offering the other a calm smile, and starting to regain his former confidence, "I left rather abruptly, so it is highly likely Sans has never mentioned me before."

He watched as Papyrus nodded in concurrence with his words, "AH, YES, I DON'T REMEMBER HIM MENTIONING YOU," he breathed, seemingly pacified by the answer he was given. He gave him only a short time to recover before continuing, "ALTHOUGH I DIDN'T CATCH YOUR NAME, WHAT WAS IT?" he inquired.

"Doctor Wingding Gaster," he provided, "Though you may simply refer to me as Gaster." He pried his hands together and outstretched one for the other skeleton. Papyrus observed his hand for a while, and seemed rather surprised by them, and at first Gaster was confused by his hesitation. It was only then that he remembered the large holes in the palms of his hands. He had, had the large apertures in his hands for so long that he had forgotten there had once been a time he had normal, whole, hands, so it was no wonder Papyrus was concerned.

However, the younger skeleton soon got over his nerves and griped Gaster's hand in his own, giving it a firm shake.

"So, Papyrus," he began, "What brings you to Waterfall on this fine day?" he asked, retracting his hand and placing it into his pocket, slipping into a more relaxed posture. He was genuinely curious as to why Papyrus was this far from Snowdin, surely he had Sentry duty with Sans.

Papyrus seemed to perk up at the question, straightening up, his previous grin returning to his face, "OH, WHY MY FRIEND UNDYNE ASKED IF I COULD PICK UP SOME GROCERIES FOR OUR TRAINING SESSION," he explained, "IT WAS TOO FAR TO WALK BACK TO SNOWDIN, WHERE I LIVE, TO GET THE SUPPLIES, SO I DECIDED TO COME HERE INSTEAD." He continued, gesturing in the direction of Gerson's store.

"What a coincidence," Gaster laughed, more to himself than anyone else, "It just so happens I am going there as well." He grinned, returning Papyrus' wide smile with one of his own. Something about Papyrus' aura just seemed to radiate warmth and kindness, and it made him feel unremarkable calm despite the situation. He wanted to tell him the truth, he truly did, but he felt it was not appropriate just yet, he still had to clear up a few matters beforehand.

They were both stood at the entrance to the shop, and evidently that was the end of the pleasantries. Gaster gestured to the store once more, "Shall we?" he asked, following after Papyrus and inside.

 **##########**

Sans was sat at the table, sipping at a steaming mug of fresh tea. Normally he would have been indulging in a nice bottle of ketchup, but the odd feeling in the air still had yet to dissipate, and the short skeleton wanted something to help put his mind at ease.

The day was drawing to a close. Sans' shift had finished a short while earlier, and he was expecting Papyrus home any minute.

Thus far, he had yet to find the cause of the disturbance. It felt as though the answer were just on the tip of his tongue, and every time he was close to grasping what it was, it would suddenly be just out of reach once more. He kept thinking back to Papyrus' odd behaviour earlier in the day, his abrupt change in demeanour and the strange question of Sans feeling as though he was forgetting something. Something about it unnerved him, and he wasn't sure why.

The sound of the front door opening broke Sans from his thoughts, and he looked up to see a familiar figure strutting into view. His usual Cheshire cat grin broke out onto his face as he caught sight of his brother.

Papyrus, as per usual, had a slight bounce to his step as he made his way towards Sans, his own smile firmly in place. "GOOD AFTERNOON SANS!" he beamed in his usual loud happy-go-lucky voice.

Sans' grin widened slightly, "sup bro," he greeted, taking a sip from his cup, "How 'as training?" he asked, casually leaning back into the chair, his eyes softening and making his grin appear lazier and perhaps even placid.

"BRILLIANT AS USUAL. UNDYNE SAID MY COOKING SKILLS HAVE IMPROVED TENFOLD." He beamed, striking a proud fist to his chest and striking a confident pose. Sans smirked as he did so. His brother was so cool. "OH YES, AND I MET SOMEONE DOWN AT THE STORE TODAY, HE SAID YOU MIGHT KNOW HIM," he added, moving to stand normally once more.

Sans was used to Papyrus filling him in on everything that had happened during the day, taking about everything he saw, everyone he met and so on. It was highly irregular for someone to mention Sans however. He gave a soft interested hum as he took another sip form his cup, signalling for his brother to continue.

"TELL ME, DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE BY THE NAME 'GASTER'?"

Sans choked on his tea.


End file.
